Who Are the Hash House Harriers?

Hashing . . . it's a mixture of athleticism and sociability,
hedonism and hard work, a refreshing escape from the nine-to-five
dweebs you're stuck with five days a week. Hashing is an exhilaratingly
fun combination of running, orienteering, and partying, where bands of
harriers and harriettes chase
hares on eight-to-ten kilometer-long trails through town, country, and
desert,
all in search of exercise, camaraderie, and good times.

Hashing began in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 1938, when a group of
British colonial officials and expatriates founded a running club
called the Hash House Harriers. They named the group after their
meeting place, the Selangor Club, nicknamed the "Hash House." Hash
House Harrier runs were patterned after the traditional British paper
chase. A "hare" was given a head start to blaze a trail, marking his
devious way with shreds of paper, all the while pursued by a shouting
pack of "harriers." Only the hare knew where he was going . . . the
harriers followed his clues to stay on trail. Apart from the
excitement of chasing the hare and solving the clues, reaching the end
was
its own reward . . . for there, thirsty harriers would find a tub of
iced-down
beer.

Hashing died out during World War II (Japanese occupying forces
being notoriously
anti-fun) but picked up in the post-war years, spreading through the
Far
East, Australia, and New Zealand . . . then exploding in popularity in
the
mid-70s. Today there are thousands of Hash House Harrier clubs in all
parts
of the world, with newsletters, directories, and even regional and
world
hashing conventions.

Hashing hasn't strayed far from its Kuala Lumpur roots. A typical
hash today is a loosely-organized group of 20-40 men and women who meet
weekly or biweekly to chase the hare. We follow chalk, flour, or paper,
and the trails are never boring . . . we run streets and back
alleyways, but we also ford streams, climb fences, explore storm
drains, and scale cliffs. And although some of today's health-conscious
hashers may shun cold beer in favor of
water or diet sodas, trail's end is still a celebration and a party.